{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Cleveland 109, Detroit 97
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, April 13, 2015
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Officials: #45 Brian Forte, #68 Marat Kogut, #19 James Capers
Attendance: 20562

CLEVELAND -- Cavs forward LeBron James had 21 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his second triple-double of the season and Cleveland beat the Detroit Pistons 109-97 Monday in what is expected to be their final full roster tune-up prior to the postseason.

The Cavs certainly look ready for the playoffs, provided they make it there healthy. All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving did not play in the second half Monday with what the team described as tightness in his right hip. He had 12 points and three assists before he was pulled for precautionary reasons.

This was Irving's first game in five days. He sat out Friday's home game against the Boston Celtics because of his hip and coach David Blatt rested most of his starters during Sunday's loss at Boston. The team doesn't seem overly concerned about Irving, who has already appeared in a career-high 74 games with a full postseason schedule still to come.

A key injury might be all that can slow this team, which will enter the playoffs second in the East.

"It will take a great performance to beat them," Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. "If you're going to play big, they've got three guys. If you downsize, LeBron can guard all five positions. There aren't a lot of holes there."

J.R. Smith scored 28 points, including eight 3-pointers, and Timofey Mozgov had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Cavs. Blatt is expected to play at least a few of his starters for part of Wednesday's regular-season finale, but this was the last game the Cavs intended to play with a full roster.

They pounced on a weary Pistons team early, scoring 16 consecutive points in the first quarter to blow open a 36-14 lead. The Pistons never recovered.

Caron Butler scored 19 points, Andre Drummond had 20 points and nine rebounds and Reggie Jackson had 18 points and eight assists for the Pistons, who lost for the third time in their last four games and for the sixth time in their last eight.

James went nearly the entire season without a triple-double -- he had one revoked by the league early in the season following a scoring change -- but now has two this month. He grabbed his 10th rebound off a Pistons miss with 8:08 to play as the crowd roared. He subbed out of the game moments later.

NOTES: Pistons F Tayshaun Prince may have played his last game of the season. Coach Stan Van Gundy wants to give his minutes to younger players. ... Detroit's Quincy Miller is getting a tryout as Caron Butler's backup at small forward. Miller previously played power forward with the Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets. "It's all about giving Quincy an opportunity to use his athleticism at both ends of the floor," Van Gundy said. ... Cavs coach David Blatt expects most everyone to be available again for Wednesday's finale against the Washington Wizards, although the starters are only expected to play partial minutes and a couple of them may sit entirely. ... Cleveland G Iman Shumpert's double-double in Sunday's loss at Boston was the second of his career. Both came as a member of the Cavaliers.
Top Game Performances
 
Detroit   Cleveland
Andre Drummond 20 Scoring JR Smith 28
Reggie Jackson 8 Assists LeBron James 11
Andre Drummond 9 Rebounds Timofey Mozgov 13
Reggie Jackson 3 Free Throws Made LeBron James 4
Caron Butler 1 Steals LeBron James 2
Andre Drummond 3 Blocks Kevin Love 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Detroit 97 45.8 9-25 12-20 21 31 4 4 8
Cleveland 109 50.6 17-32 6-12 30 45 7 5 12
Upcoming Games
  • Cleveland will play their next game at home against Washington. The Cavaliers have a W/L % of .725 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Detroit will play their next game on the road against New York. The Pistons have a W/L % of .469 after a win and .327 after a loss.